Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[izalo]

Well, I am Colombian, and I am living in USA 3 years ago, My english is american but I can't understand Australian English or English from England.
I am happy with my english and I am learning more each day, since you know this language is huge and you can't learn something in 2 or 3 years... it is a hard job.

So what do you think ???

[worldclass]

In my experience as an agent it seems that the students that we send to Australia and NZ have the best experience (and value) incomparison to Nth America or Europe.

Being in Colombia though it is a difficult flight to Aus/NZ. I would say Canada may be your best bet - better value and more enjoyable than the US or UK.
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[CP]

If you want to understand Australians, Britons, New Zealanders, et al., you might try watching movies from those places. You will be able to gain familiarity with at least some dialects from those places.

You learned American English, so you understand the vowel sounds that Americans use, but vowels are pronounced differently in other places. If an Australian says, "town hall," it might sound like "tan hole" to you. But the difficulty will disappear soon if you listen to Australians speaking long enough. If you cannot go to Australia, the next best thing is Australian TV or movies.

The other problem, besides vowels, is idioms. The Australian might say, "bonzer," something you never heard in America. (I think it means "great" or "wonderful.") You can find dictionaries in bookstores or online to help learn the new words.
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[nostril5]

Go to a country town (or small city) in New Zealand. My favourite school is English Language Matters in Dunedin, NZ. Freezing cold now, but warm, wonderful people and packed with university students.
I wish I was back there.
Mike

[ClarissaMach]

CP just gave you a great piece of advice. You see, I've never been in the USA or in Britan, but I can watch an entire American or British movie without the help of titles. The secret is trying to get in touch with that language as much as possible, listening to songs, watching movies, reading books....

I don't know if I would easily understand an australian, for I've never watched an australian movie... but to be honest with you, I'm not worried about it. Sometimes I barely understand what some Brazilians are saying in Portuguese, my native tongue...
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[Nickity]

I don't think anyone should spend a fortune learning English in schools overseas when watching movies from that country helps you learn as much. I think you can also learn a lot from travelling or working in a country, though getting a visa from Colombia isn't easy.

[yuna466]

I think the best country to learn english is UK.

[sedacanlar]

There is no better place than New York. No better time than now. Learn English at Zoni language school in New York. New York City is the best place to make it happen and cultural diversity is a positive social value in this city.

[edward_perez93]

i think that the best place to learn english is the USA. This is just my opinion but other people think different.lol

[BLKDRGN]

Toronto is a great choice, too.

It's a large city (5.9 million people in the metro area) and it comprises most of the province of Ontario, which the OECD states is the most educated province or state in the world. This is because more people have university degrees as a percentage of the population here than anywhere else on earth. So, the people you are likely to meet on the street or teaching you in class are highly educated.

Canadians in Toronto also speak with a clear accent (the same as educated Americans from states like California and Washington). North American English is also used more around the world than the English of Britain, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand or Ireland.

Further, Toronto is also the most multicultural city in the world, with lots of immigrants. So, ESL students have many chances to speak with Canadians who are very used to hearing accented and broken English. Native English speakers in other cities are not always so patient with ESL students because they are not so familiar with English as spoken by non-native speakers. It is important that ESL students feel as comfortable as possible speaking to people outside the classroom so that they can practice their English in real-world situations.

And, Toronto is an interesting city for ESL students. Going to a small town is not great for making friends and, from what I hear from many of my students who have gone to small towns, they get bored there quickly. A city like Toronto, however, is quite fun as it has the highest number of restaurants per capita of any city in North America, and plenty of shopping and cultural activities.

Best of luck with your English studies.

Most Sincerely,


Robbie McMullan
Chelsea Language Academy
Toronto, Canada
www.ChelseaLanguageAcademy.com

[English Montreal]

I don't know if you really need to spend time in Australia or NZ to be able to understand local people and improve your Universal English. I don't know if it's better for you to go in UK, AU, NZ or to stay in North America...I don't know because that is good ( or works) for me or others people is not necessary good ( or works) for you..

Having say that, i can tell you that as some people said, you can start by watching Australian movies or NZ movies, listen the radio and the news - try bbc radio 1 for example...for uk radio

If you really want to study in a school, maybe you can find some American school close to you with Australian or NZ teachers. And sure in NY, you will probably find this kind of multicultural school...

If i was you, i will probably start to watch movie and listen the radio (AU, UK,NZ) , and i will plan a trip for NZ and during this trip i will take some courses, not for the course ) just for the trip -
My 2 cents
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[vernongstamm]

The best country for learning English would depend on the style of English you want to learn. If you want North American English, then Canada, the U.S. or online with an American Native Speaker. If you're looking to learn British English, then choosing a British country or British online speaker would be the way to go.

I offer American English via my VOIP classroom and Skype. You can contact me either through my website at www.stammeducation.net or my email, [email protected].
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[charactereducation]

If you want to learn best and with grammar english then you have to best choices England and Asian universities are best for you.
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[yunaaa]

Hi! I am Yuna. I was in Canada last year for 9months for studying English. From my experience, I can recommend you the place to learn english. There are some good points,, first of all you can get a working visa. second: Canadian english does not have strong accent. third: peaceful place. There are more great tings to point out such as food, people,,, You may think, canada is freaking cold. But like Vancouver, Victoria these places are not cold so much. When I was there, I saw snow only a couple of times!
I had an amazing time there. I wish I could be back to the time

These are just my opinion

[DMJY]

You see, I've never been in the United States or in Britannica, but I can see a great American and British film without the help of securities. The secret is to try to get in touch with the language as much as possible, listen to songs, watching movies, reading books
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